After analyzing data from 18 states that included 10,018 female homicides committed between the years 2003 and 2014, CDC researchers found that Black women are killed at a rate of 4.4 per 100,000 people, indigenous women at a rate of 4.3 per 100,000; and other races were between 1 and 2 per 100,000.

Why is this happening? More than half the women were killed at the hands of their boyfriends or husbands. Latinas had the highest rates of deaths due to domestic violence with 61 percent, while domestic violence-related deaths among Black women were 51.3 percent.

The findings are startling. The report also finds:

57.7 percent of Black women died of a gunshot wound

98 percent of the homicidal partners, regardless of race or method used to kill, were men

Overall 15 percent of women ages 18–44 years were either pregnant or recently had a baby, but Black women had the highest rate with 18.6 percent

Black women were more likely to be killed by an acquaintance with 29.0 percent compared to 14.9 percent of white women

The CDC stresses that intimate partner violence is in fact a public health crisis.

“What’s notable is that this is across all racial ethnic groups,” says Emiko Petrosky, a science officer at the CDC and an author of the report. “Intimate partner violence can affect anyone … it really just shows that [this] is a public health problem.“

@Robinrazzi

I am a digital content creator and have worked in the digital space for more than ten years. "Robinrazzi" is a nickname given from a former colleague because I'm known for having a camera in hand at all times. I have traveled the world covering entertainment events, celebrities and anything trending. I earned my BA in Communications from Penn State and a MS in Marketing from Johns Hopkins University. I currently serve as Director of Digital Content for WHUR and the Howard University Radio Network.